SPOTLIGHT: THE TROUBLE WITH TEEFA
What’s different about Teefa In Trouble? What makes it stand out among the hit-and-miss efforts sporadically being churned out by local cinema? We will only know for sure when we see the movie but it may possibly draw crowds who are eager to see Ali Zafar shift gears from a spate in Bollywood to a Pakistani cinematic debut. The movie also stars TV actress Maya Ali in her first Pakistani movie and considering how good she’s looking in the trailer, she may just manage to place herself amidst the smattering of leading ladies riding high on cinema’s new wave. Additionally, there’s a catchy soundtrack that is quintessential Ali Zafar and the trailer hints at a fast-paced action comedy.
But what also, quite significantly, makes Teefa different is the controversy currently surrounding its leading man/producer/music composer/male playback singer/co-scriptwriter Ali Zafar. This April, singer Meesha Shafi accused Ali of sexual harassment and since then the allegations have been taken to a legal court and the case is yet to unfold. Ali is an integral part of Teefa — both on-screen and behind-the-scenes — and consequently a hashtag on Twitter and Instagram is urging audiences to #boycottTeefa, recoining the movie’s title as ‘Ali Zafar’s In Trouble’. Critics are arguing that if a star as illustrious as Kevin Spacey can get fired on the basis of being a harasser, then it is the audience’s ethical responsibility to at least spurn Ali’s film.
Now this is certainly different. There have been movie releases preceded by tales of clandestine behind-the-scenes affairs and spats between stars but very few bear the burden of being considered a benchmark for ethics. This may end up affecting Teefa adversely at the box office. On the other hand, it may make more people want to see the movie, simply out of sheer curiosity.